Mt. Vernon Shooting Kills Artist, Seriously Injures Community Leader

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Police are aggressively searching for clues after an unusual double shooting in the heart of Mount Vernon. An aspiring artist is dead and a respected community leader is clinging to life.

Kai Jackson explains detectives are counting on neighbors to help solve this crime.

As police continue their investigation, the family of one of the victims prepares to lay him to rest.

There’s a heightened police presence in the city’s historic Mt. Vernon neighborhood after two men were shot on East Chase Street early on Friday morning. Forty-year-old Joseph Alexander Ulrich, who’s known as Alex, died from his injuries.

“It’s in walking distance of where I go to the grocery store, of where I get my coffee in the morning,” said Marina Costa. “Yeah, it’s really crazy.”

Larry Peterson, who was friends with Ulrich, was also shot. Peterson, 56, owned the home where it happened. At last report, he was in critical but stable condition at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

In an unusual move, police released photos of the victims, posting them in the area hoping it might shake things up and lead to a suspect and a motive.

“Police released the pictures of the victims to generate community interaction. We’re looking for feedback from the neighborhood,” said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, Baltimore City Police.

Family members say Ulrich worked with disadvantaged youth for 15 years in Gettysburg before he came to Baltimore, saying he had a passion for people and for helping.

“Everything that we’ve been told is that it is completely random, just one of those wrong place, wrong time situations,” said Tim Ulrich, Alex’s brother.

“We don’t have anything on the gunman, don’t really have a motive at this point. We have a couple ideas that we’re looking into,” Guglielmi said.

Alex Ulrich’s family says funeral services will be held Friday in Hagerstown.